Lever control mechanism



July 14, 1959 A. L. KAESER LEVER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed June 11, 1957 km my W: m. a A W t 0 a m m 3 v.

United States Patent 2,894,412 LEVER CONTROL MECHANISM Arthur L. Kaesenspringfield, Ohio, assignor to Quick Manufacturing, Inc.', Springfield, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 11, 1957, Serial No. 664,992

7 Claims. (Cl. 74-'--'531) This invention relates to handle locks for remote control levers mounted upon engine driven lawn and garden type vehicle-tools or more specifically upon the generally upright handle by which such tools are guided and manipulated. I

Control levers of the class described customarily take the form of an auxiliary or supplemental handle which is received in the grasp of the operator along with the handle itself and which can be rocked from a normally relatively divergent position to a retracted position in which it is close to and approximately parallel to the lized to effect a remote control operation in the tool, as handle. The retracting motion of the control lever is utifor example the engaging of a clutch between driving and driven components thereof.

The objectof the invention is to simplify the construction as well as the means and mode of operation of lever control mechanisms, whereby such mechanisms may not only be economically manufactured, but will be more efficient and satisfactory in use, adaptable to a wide variety of applications, and be unlikely to get out of order.

An object of the invention is to enable a control lever as described temporarily to be locked in retracted positionv so that the manual grip of the operator is not required to hold it in a retracted or actuated position.

Another object of the invention is to provide for quick and easy locking or latching of a control lever as described, as well as for similarly quick and easy release thereof, it being contemplated that the operator may accomplish the functions of latching and release using only the hand which grips the handle and without requiring such hand to be removed from the handle.

Affurther object of the invention is to present a handle control lock as described of such simplified construction as to require but one moving part and which may be applied to existing handles.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lever control mechanism possessing the advantageous structural features, the inherent meritorious characteristics and the mode of o erationhereinmentioned.

With the above and other incidental objects in view aswi-ll more "fully appear in the specification, the invention intended to be-protected by Letters Patent consists of the features of construction, the par-ts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation as hereinafter described or "illustrated in the accompanying drawings, or their equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawing wherein is shown one but obviously not necessarily the only form of embodiment of the invention,

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a detail view in perspective of the grip portion of a handle, showing a control lever mounted thereon and a latch therefor in accordance with the illustrated form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but relatively enlarged, and showing the control lever in an actuated or retracted position relatively to the handle;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with some parts broken away to show the relationship between the control lever and the latching plunger; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the interengagement between the latching plunger and the control lever showing the manner in which these parts become frictionally bound together to effect the latching operation.

Referring to the drawings, a handle as used to guide and manipulate a vehicle-tool, comprises a generally upwardly extending shaft 10 terminating in a handle grip portion 11 angularly disposed for more convenient and comfortable grasp by the hand of the operator. The control lever of the illustrated form of the invention is in generally underlying relation to the handle grip portion 11 and, as indicated at 12, is disposed substantially in the vertical plane of the handle grip portion and has an arcuate shape in cross section over the major part of its length. One end of the control lever 12 is formed with upstanding sides or a U portion 13 which embraces the shaft 1-0 approximately at the beginning of handle grip portion 11. A pin 14 is passed transversely through the U portion 13 and through the handle. A pivotal attachment for the lever 12 thus is provided on the handle and the lever tends normally to rock downwardly of its own weight about the pivot 14 substantially to the position shown in Fig. -1 in which the lever extends in a direction divergent to the handle grip portion 11. Rocking motion of the lever in this direction is limited by engagement of one end of the curved body of the lever with the shaft 10.

The lever 12 is connected, as by a rod 15, to a place in the tool wherein the motion of the lever is utilized to effect a control function as for example the engagement and disengagement of a clutch. Thus, a retracting motion of the lever 12 toward the handle grip portion 11, as to the position shown in Fig. 2, serves to retract or to pull upon the rod '15. The lever is positioned to be received within the grasp of the same hand which grips the portion 11 so that the retracting motion of the lever may be achieved by a drawing down of the fingers of the hand toward the palm thereof, and upon release of the fingers the lever is allowed to drop back to its divergent position, moving the rod 15 in a forwardly or return motion.

The lever 12 has a through vertical opening 16 in its longitudinal axis. The handle grip portion 11 has a through transverse opening 17 in the vertical plane'of the opening 16 and hence in the plane of motion of the lever 12. Slidingly mounted in the opening 17 is a pin or plunger 18 extending at its opposite ends beneath and above the grip portion 11. The lower projecting portion of the plunger has a bushing '19 secured thereto while the upper projecting end of the plunger has secured thereto a retainer cap 21. A compression spring 22 is interposed hetween the cap 21 and the exterior of the grip portion 11 in a manner to urge-the plunger 18 vertically upward or in a direction to bring the bushing 19 up against the bottom of the grip portion of the handle. In

a retracting motion of the lever1 2 as described, the

opening 16 therein is moved in an approaching direction relatively to the bushing 19 on the end of plunger 18, and, as the lever reaches a position of approximate parallelism to the handle grip portion, the bushing 19 and opening 16 achieve a registry with one another. If, therefore, while the lever is so held, the plunger 21 is depressed downwardly against the urging of spring 22 the bushing 19 will enter the opening 16. Now, if the lever 12 is released, while the plunger 18 continues to be held depressed, the slight permitted pivotal motion of the lever tends to move the opening 16 out of alignment with the bushing 19 whereupon the parts bind Patented July 14, 1959' upon one another, as indicated in Fig. 4. The lever thereby is frictionally held from further motion back to its normal position and the plunger '18 is frictionally held from restoration to a normal retracted position under the urging of spring 22. The operation of the tool accordingly may proceed without the necessity of the operator having either to grip and hold actuated the lever 12 or to hold depressed the plunger 18. When it is desired to release the lock so effected, a slight retraction of the lever 12 restores the opening 16 to alignment with the bushing 19 whereupon the spring 22 is permitted to restore the plunger 18 to its normal position, withdrawing it from opening 16 and releasing the lever 12 for return to its normal position.

The bushing 19 is, as noted, a part separate from and attached to the plunger 18. It is more convenient to achieve a closely fitting relationship between the end of the plunger and the opening 16 in this manner than if the bushing were an integral part of the plunger. It will be understood, however, that the part 19 could, if desired, be made out of or as a part of the plunger 18 itself. The retainer head 21 on the plunger serves as an abutment for the spring 22 and also presents a surface having the shape of a button and is presented in a position to be depressed by the thumb of the operator.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed com prise but one of several modes of putting the invention into efiect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A handle control lock, including a handle grip portion, a control lever pivotally attached to said handle grip portion and adapted to be received with said portion within the grasp of an operator to be rocked toward and from said portion, a plunger mounted to reciprocate transversely of said handle grip portion and spring urged in one direction, and an opening in said control lever brought into and out of alignment with said plunger by pivotal motion thereof and of a size closely to receive said plunger.

2. A handle control lock, including a handle grip portion, a control lever pivotally attached near its one end to said portion and adapted to be rocked toward and from said grip portion, said lever having intermediate its ends a through opening therein, a plunger mounted on said grip portion in longitudinally spaced relation to the point of attachment of said lever thereto and in the plane of movement of said lever, said plunger being movable in its longitudinal axis and having a diameter to be received relatively closely in the said opening in said control lever, said opening registering with said plunger at 4 a predetermined point in the rocking motion of said lever.

3. A handle control lock according to claim 2, characterized by spring means urging said plunger in a retracting direction relatively to said control lever, said opening achieving a position of registry with said plunger in a position of said lever approximately parallel to said handle grip portion.

4. A handle control lock, including a handle grip portion, a control lever pivotally attached adjacent its one end to said handle grip portion and extending in normally divergent relation thereto, said lever having an opening therein and being adapted to be received with said handle grip portion within the grasp of an operator and to be rocked thereby to a retracted position approximately parallel to said handle grip portion, a plunger transversely mounted in said handle for relative reciprocating motion and having one end extending toward said lever, and resilient means tending to retract said plunger to withdraw said one end thereof relatively to said lever, said plunger and said opening being so positioned as to register with one another in the retracted position of said plunger and of said lever whereby depression of said plunger will cause said one end thereof to enter said opening.

5. A handle control lock according to claim 4, characterized by a bushing on said one end of said plunger predetermined in size to fit closely within said opening whereby release of said lever while said plunger is held depressed frictionally locks said lever in a retracted position and said plunger in a depressed position.

6. A handle control lock, according to claim 5, characterized in that said resilient means comprises a compression spring interposed between said handle grip portion and an enlarged head on the opposite end of said plunger, said head serving also as a button to receive the thumb of the operator to depress said plunger.

7. A handle control lock, including a handle grip por-' tion, a lever pivotally attached to said lever at its one end and extending in a divergent relation thereto, said lever being adapted to be drawn up to an approximately parallel relation to said handle grip portion, openings in said handle grip portion and in said lever aligned with one another in the said approximately parallel position of said lever, a plunger in the said opening in said handle grip portion held therein against relative lateral movement and having a one end projecting from one side of said portion to enter the said opening in said lever and having another end projecting from the opposite side of said portion, a combination spring retainer cap and push button on the said other projecting end of said plunger, a spring compressed between said portion and said retainer cap, and a bushing on the said one end of said plunger sized for accurate interfitting with said opening in said lever and limiting motion of said plunger under influence of said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 425,789 Hems Apr. 15, 1890 2,671,355 Hawkins Mar. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,483 Great Britain Oct. 30, 1902 1,004,867 France Dec. 5, 1951 

